Gospel Thought for Today
1st December: Wednesday of the First Week of Advent
Gospel: Matthew 15:29-37
At that time:
Jesus walked by the Sea of Galilee,
went up on the mountain, and sat down there.
Great crowds came to him,
having with them the lame, the blind, the deformed, the mute,
and many others.
They placed them at his feet, and he cured them.
The crowds were amazed when they saw the mute speaking,
the deformed made whole,
the lame walking,
and the blind able to see,
and they glorified the God of Israel.
Jesus summoned his disciples and said,
“My heart is moved with pity for the crowd,
for they have been with me now for three days
and have nothing to eat.
I do not want to send them away hungry,
for fear they may collapse on the way.”
The disciples said to him,
“Where could we ever get enough bread in this deserted place
to satisfy such a crowd?”
Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?”
“Seven,” they replied, “and a few fish.”
He ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground.
Then he took the seven loaves and the fish,
gave thanks, broke the loaves,
and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds.
They all ate and were satisfied.
They picked up the fragments left over–seven baskets full.
The Gospel of the Lord.
Reflection:
“My heart is moved with pity for the crowd…”
Such words show how Jesus felt when He saw the crowd hanging on His words for three days already. His Sacred Heart goes out to the people who are in need. It is therefore not surprising that, apart from feeding the multitude, He also healed “the lame, the blind, the deformed, the mute, and many others”. His compassion to the crowd is still true for us today. He feeds us with His Body and Blood to nurture our tired spirits. His Word inspires us to keep on going. His coming gives us hope for a bright future in His Presence.
- What areas in your life would you like to present to Jesus?
- How did you glorify God when Jesus healed you, spiritually or physically?
- How trusting are you in the Sacred Heart of Jesus?
Lord Jesus, thank You for Your Word today. We come to You as ourselves – poor, tired, worried, hungry. Fill us with Your love and we will be satisfied. Amen.
Come, Lord Jesus, come!
